Abrasive denture gum



Patented July 13, 1926.

' UNITED STATES FATE Norman w. TAYLOR, or canned, ILLINOIS.

ABRASIVE 'nsuruan GUM.

No Drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in abrasive denture gum, and moreparticular 1y to an abrasive chewing compound for use by persons whohave acquired new sets of artificial teeth, or plates, as they arecominonly termed in the dental profession.

Inasmuch as the foregoing statement of the subject-matter of theinvention may appear incongruous, or at least unusual to the layman, itmaybe Well to state that the use of artificial teeth has become ratherexten siveas a remedy for dental troubles, particularly among persons ofadvanced age, and it is not an uncommon practice to replaceall of thenatural teeth with plates for both the upper and lower jaws,

The object 'of the invention is to provide a gum which will facilitatethe fitting of plates to the mouth, and while its use is contemplated bypersons having complete sets of artificial teeth, it may also be usedwhere partial replacements are made but within the limits-hereinafterset forth. Plates or sets of artificial teeth consist generally of afoundation or. plate of hard rubber or other suitable composition inwhich the teeth are fixed or embedded, the plates being carefully madeto fit the mouth of the user.

The teeth aremade of baked porcelain and in perfect imitation'of naturalteeth, and if the plates are properly fitted, theuser experiences noparticular inconvenience or discomfort after they'have been. worn in, so

to speak. x

The process of fitting and adjusting false dental plates, is quiteexacting, but'even after they have been properlyifitted to the mouth,they must undergo a certain amount of, treatment before perfectsatisfaction is possible. In the first'place, the teeth-of a newplateare very smooth, due to the glaze v .on the surface of the bakedporcelain, and as in masticating food properly, because it has atendency to slip from between the teeth.

In the'second place, .itis quite diflicult in preparing the plates toinsure the proper registration of the teeth in the upper plate with.those in the-lower plate. In'other words, it is seldom that the teethwill properly occlude even though perfect in every other respect. As aresult, it often requires mpch time and numerous visits to the dentalpractitioner before proper occlusion is secured between the teeth of newplates.

Application filed June 11,1925. Serial No. 36,550.

The present practice is to rub the teiath "with an abrasive substancefor the purpose of removing the hardglaze on the surface of the teethand to obtainthe same degree of roughness that is characteristic ofnatural teeth. This,'0f course, re uires time, as it is done by hand inthe denta laboratory and is a very tedious process. occlusionbetween theteeth is even more laborious, and requires the use of an apparatusconsisting of articulating parts in which the plates are fixed as theyare in the To obtain proper mouth, and the teeth ground in contact witheach other by manipulating the parts .with

a movement simulating the various jaw movements. An abrasive compound,such as 011 and emery or carborundum dust, is

used for grinding down the teeth, and the operation requires carefulmanipulation and painstaking effort on the part of the dental operator.Invariably several treatments are required before the-results aresatisfactory. It is conceived, therefore, that a gum con-v taining aquantity of abrasive, if che ed by the user of the plates-, wouldaccomplish in a relatively short time and with little or noinconvenience, the same results now accomplished by the tediousoperation heretofore employed, not to .mention the time and trouble infrequent trips to the practitioners office and temporary absence ofteeth while the wearing-in process is going on.

I contemplate as the base of such a dentpre gum, the'ordinary chewinggum made of chicle, this being readily obtainable on the market andquite-satisfactory forthe pur-" pose. To the pure gum, which may or maynot be sweetened and flavored, is incorporated a quantity of'fineabrasive, such as carborundum dust, the amount being determined by thedegree of effectiveness desired.

The impregnation of the gum "with the abra-' I .a result,-considerab1edifficulty is experienced sive is readily accomplished by melting the toa liquid state and then thoroughly mixing the abrasiye into the liquidmass. When allowed to'rcool, the gum can then be reduced to stick orother suitable form for sale and use.

,Since the chewing of such a product is not.

for pleasure or diversion,- the flavo ing-may be eliminated, although itmay wel be ineluded, to relieve any real or' imaginary dis- I parts ofthe mouth come into contact with the compound, the chewing of such asubstance is not as unpleasant as might otherwise seem,

The chief merit in the use of an abrasive gum is, first, that thewearing down process is carried on while the plates are in the mouth andhence the natural biting or chewing motions of the jaws are used.Furthermore, it is a natural tendency for the person to work the gumtoward the points where the teeth occlude, and consequently the wearingaction takes place where it will be most effective. It follows,therefore, that by the periodic chewing of this gum, the time requiredto wear' in the teeth, is greatly shortened, and without any particulardiscomfort or inconvenience.

Actual results showthat the particles of abrasive do not separate fromthe gum, and therefore the chewing of the gum is not distasteful.Moreover, the fine particles of material removed from the teeth by theabrasive or grinding action are caught andheld by the gum, and arediscarded with it.

Owing to the character of the carborundum and its known abrasivequalities, the desired results are obtained in a relatively short time.In fact, so positive is its abrasive action, that its use should not berecommended except where both upper and lower plates are used, since itwould have a very detrimental abrasive effect on natural teeth. For thisreason, it would be desirable to provide different grades of thisdenture gum, varying in the kind and quantity of abrasive used. Forinstance, where natural teeth are still present in the mouth, or anupper or lower plate only is used, a gum containing powdered pumicestone, chalk or other mild abrasive would be substituted, particularlywhere a polishing effect is desired in an equalor greater extent thanthe abrasive or wearing down action.

At the present time, it is a common practice among a great number ofdentists, to prescribe the chewing of ordinary gum as an aid to thetraining of the muscles of the mouth, and becoming accustomed to theplates.

Thus both the above results and the grinding to a perfect occlusion areaccomplished at the same time, by the use of this denture gum.

Having therefore set forth the purposes and advantages of the product, Iclaim as my invention:

1. An abrasive denture gum, consisting of a chewing compound impregnatedwith carborundum in powdered form.

2. An abrasive denture gum for the purpose dcscribed, consisting ofchewing gum impregnated with carborundum in finely divided form.

Signed at Chicago 111. this 8 day of June,

NORMAN W. TAYLOR.

